Thursday, November 23, 2017

Happy Thanksgiving

Happy Thanksgiving to all! I am thankful for my life and for my family with who I am spending the day.  I am thankful for servicemen and women who keep the peace. I am thankful for all of my Brothers whithersoever dispersed around the world.



Wednesday, November 22, 2017

All Gnostic Saints Day

This day celebrates the lives of a series of historical figures revered by Gnostic Christians. One such list of saints appears in the Collect of the Day of All Gnostic Saints of Ecclesia Gnostica, which reads as follows:
Praise be to Thee, O Father of all Fatherhood, Thou, the unknown God, who was before the fall of the sparks into the darkness of this aeon, for the glorious messengers of the light of Thy everlasting and redeeming Gnosis. Especially do we praise and thank Thee today for the following holy and enlightened teachers and knowers of truth: Valentinus of Rome; Basilides of Antioch; Carpocrates of Alexandria; Bardesanes of Syria; Mani of Babylonia, Martyr; Priscillian of Avila, Bishop and Martyr; Paul of Samosata, Bishop; Peter of Bruys, Martyr; Amalric of Bena; David of Dinan and William of Paris; Bogomil of Dragowitza, Bishop; Peter Waldo of Lyons; Joachim of Flora; Esclaremonde de Foix and the Cathar martyrs; and all the holy souls and wise sages who have in any way or form, under whatsoever guise and appearance attained to and taught the true and ancient Gnosis of God. Grant, O Boundless One, that inspired by and following their most noble example we also may see the light of Thy Gnosis and assist in liberating Thy sparks of light from the chains of darkness, ignorance and malice which afflict them in this aeon. Amen.

Saturday, November 11, 2017

Happy Veteran's Day

Happy Veteran's Day to all the men and women who are serving and have served in the Armed Forces!


Monday, November 6, 2017

Visiting the Detroit Masonic Temple

While I was here at the Detroit Masonic Temple on Saturday night for a presentation, I requested a tour on Monday when I had more time to see this amazing in the daytime. It is truly awe-inspiring and seeing this building was on my Masonic bucket list. I wrote about this building back in 2012: Sights and Places: Detroit Masonic Temple, but no words can do it justice. I have to thank Worshipful Brother Rob Moore, Worshipful Master of the Michigan Lodge of Research and Information for taking me on such an informative tour of this historic building. Now I am on my way back home.

Here are just a few of the pictures that I took during this tour:

















Saturday, November 4, 2017

Wisdom of the Founding Brethren

This weekend I am in Detroit for work and before coming out I had contacted the Masons to see if any event would be happening that I could attend. I was informed that the Michigan Lodge of Research would be hosting a Richard H. Sands Lecture at the Detroit Masonic Temple Library and that the lecturer would be  Bro. Shawn Eyer. Bro. Shawn is a Past Master of Academia Lodge No.847 in Oakland, CA, and currently serves as Director of Communications at the George Washington Masonic National Memorial in Alexandria, VA, as well as the editor of its newsletter, "Light." He is also editor of "Ahiman: A Review of Masonic Culture and Tradition" and "Philalethes: The Journal of Masonic Research and Letters", the oldest independent Masonic publications in North America. I was looking forward to this presentation because I've known Bro. Shawn for a few years now and had not seen him a few years.

Bro. Shawn Eyer gave a presentation titled "Wisdom of the Founding Brethren: Light from the First Generation of Freemasons." Shawn is an exceptional Masonic scholar and lecturer, and I was not disappointed by his presentation. Shawn's presentation centered on looking at primary sources of early Masonry to look at some of the attitudes, ideas, and cultures of the early Masonic Brethren around the time of the founding Brothers. Citing the song "The Freemasons Health" (one of the earliest printed documents of Speculative Freemasonry), a Masonic essay by Robert Samber, Anderson's Constitution of 1723, the York Regulations of 1725, the writings of Francis Drake (1726), the writings of Edward Oakley (1728) writings by Martin Clare, the "Dissertation upon Masonry" (1734), the Book M (1736), and writings by "Brother Euclid" (1738). What I took away from this presentation is that we modern Masons, and humans in general, look back at our predecessors with some bias that they must have been simpler than us, but after looking through their writings, Masonic education isn't a new concept and has been with us since the earliest recorded history of Freemasonry. Many of the earliest essays on Masonry paint a picture of Lodges that fostered an environment for those seeking spiritual, intellectual, and social pursuits and exploration (rather than using research). The Brethren of the Michigan Lodge of Research were very hospitable and welcoming. It was a pleasure to attend this presentation and the fellowship that followed.